Project Phoenix - A New PC JRPG from Final Fantasy Vets

August 11th, 2013, 17:56

Project Phoenix is an indie JRPG with real-time strategy elements. Its Kickstarter campaign will launch in a few days, and it's asking for $100,000.

The development team members have an impressive array of credits, including the Final Fantasy series, Halo 4, Crysis 3, L.A. Noire, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, Soulcalibur V, Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Steins;Gate Fuka Ryōiki no D&eacute;j&agrave; vu, and much more. Several of the members are yet to be announced, including a secret designer from a leading anime mecha title that changed the course of Japanese pop culture's influence in the world.

The Project Phoenix Kickstarter is seeking $100,000 to fund the programming and artistic development of the game. Backers have the opportunity to secure digital and limited edition physical copies of the title, along with the chance to be featured as non-playable characters such as a bar owner with their own personal musical theme composed by Uematsu. Stretch goals also include the creation of additional areas, graphics and cinematics, as well as the talents of Grammy Award winning sound engineer John Kurlander (Lord of the Rings trilogy, Skyrim, The Beatles) and the Eminence Symphony Orchestra bringing the music of Uematsu and his co composers to life.

Players will follow the story of the amnesiac angel, Ruffles, who has landed in the world of Azuregard and encounters the troubled Templar, Marcus Stern. Together with the elven princess Sylrianah, who is reserved but curious to see the world beyond the forest, and Zarum the Lost, a battlemage with his own internal conflicts, they form an unlikely bond. These four heroes must discover their place in a world brought to war by misunderstanding and ignorance, and perhaps ultimately even save it from itself.

Project Phoenix is a sprawling adventure where you will travel and battle enemies across Azuregard. The game departs from traditional JRPG conventions through its use of RTS elements, yielding a combat system that is fast paced and dynamic. Furthermore, players can have their characters interact with environmental terrain features, be it rope bridges or boulders, to create tactical advantages.

Project Phoenix is scheduled for release in mid 2015 for PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. Excited fans can venture to projectphoenix.info to learn more about the game's development and join the community forums. Game director Hiroaki Yura and team members will be there to answer fan questions about the development of Project Phoenix.

The Kickstarter campaign for the project has now been launched offering additional information directly from the developers, while it's already achieved over 20% of the initial goal. The lowest pledge amount that nets players the game upon its release is a modest $20, though the lower tiers are of somewhat limited supply. It's been clarified that it is primarily developed for the PC with console versions still being considered, while the mobile/tablet OS versions will differ in accordance with the system limitations. The game's official website has also been finally opened.